July 22-24, 2020 Volume 30 - No.54 • 2 Sections - 14 Pages
DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Jollibee’s expansion in the US continues, opens second Jersey City store amid the pandemic JOLLIBEE opened the doors of its second store in Jersey City last week, more than a month after the inauguration of its Edison store, in the midst of the pandemic that has been slowing global economic growth. The new stores are part of the brand’s plans to grow to 150 stores in the U.S. by 2023. Jollibee Edison and Jollibee Journal Square are the 53rd and 54th stores to open across North America. Traditional favorites and the chain’s signature dishes like Chickenjoy, spaghetti and peach mango pie are now available for call-in and pickup. For now, the store is also open for takeout from 8:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m. “We have a simplified menu for now. Next week, we will offer palabok, family pack of burger steak, and eventually, breakfast meals which would be perfect for PATH commuters,” area manager Merle Caleon, a 32-year veteran of Jollibee, told the Asian Journal.
BI: Only foreigners with long-term visas allowed to enter PH in August by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
ONLY foreigners with permanent or existing immigrant visas are allowed to enter the Philippines starting August, the country’s Bureau of Immigration clarified on Tuesday, July 21.
The entry of foreign tourists, non-immigrant visa holders, and other categories of travelers are still prohibited. Anyone attempting to land in any of the Philippines’ ports of entry will be turned away, according to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente. “The resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force
AS the coronavirus pandemic rages on and continues to complicate nearly every system of bureaucracy, housing instability becomes an even greater threat to residents facing job and income loss and renters facing impending expirations on rent moratorium orders. At the pandemic’s beginning in March, most states enacted safer-at-home orders that sequester workers to their homes, resulting in about 50 million households that suffered (and continue to experience) job or income loss due to COVID-19. To make matters worse for renters, many state moratoriums on evictions are set to expire in August. The Congressional CARES Act that provided financial assistance put forth a 120day eviction moratorium on tenants in fed-
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by AJPRESS
RAPID MASS TESTING. Vehicles line up for the free COVID-19 rapid test at a drive-through testing center set up at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Tuesday, July 21. Manila City residents and non-residents may avail of the free rapid test. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
NINE new cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported among Filipinos around the world, bringing the total number of infections to 9,145, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Tuesday, July 21. Meanwhile, the agency logged one new fatality, which brings the death toll to 645. Nine Filipinos have also recovered, raising the official count of recoveries to 5,369. “Today’s latest figures on COVID-19 cases among our nationals abroad show nine new confirmed cases in Asia and the Pacific and Europe, nine new recoveries in Asia and the Pacific, and one new fatality in the Middle East,” the DFA said. “The DFA also confirms one new report from a country in Europe, bringing the total number of countries and regions with confirmed cases among Filipinos to 68,” it added. Overall by region, Europe — which comprises 17 countries — has recorded 1,075 Filipino cases, including 484 undergoing treatment, 496 recoveries and 95
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Anti-terror law takes effect in the Philippines Trump signs memorandum excluding undocumented immigrants from census count by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
THE controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 on Saturday, July 18, took effect in the Philippines, despite the lack of implementing rules and regulations. “Considering that the law was published on July 3, it will take effect on July 18, which is the 15th day,” said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday, July 17. He added that the drafting of the IRR is “just about to start” and will be ready within 90 days. “The law will take effect even without the IRR because the promulgation of the IRR is not a condition for the effectivity of
the law. Some provisions are self-executing, like the organization of the ATC (AntiTerrorism Council),” Guevarra said, “But there are provisions where operational details need to be spelled out or standards clearly defined in the IRR for proper implementation of the law,” he added. Under the anti-terror law — which expands on the Human Security Act of 2007 — incitement of terrorism can be done “by means of speeches, proclamations, by KLARIZE MEDENILLA writings, emblems, banners or other repAJPress resentations…without taking any direct part in the commission of terrorism.” United States President DonThose arrested and detained may be held ald Trump on Tuesday, July 21 for 14 to 24 days. u PAGE A3 signed a memorandum that would exclude undocumented immigrants from census counts in what is the administration’s latest attempt to alter the way that populations are tallied and progress its stringent immigration plan. tagram under the moniker, @Disneyland“I have accordingly deterPanda. mined that respect for the law “Magic is Happening again!” he wrote in and protection of the integrity of a June 10 post, telling his over 25,000 fol- the democratic process warrant lowers the news that Disneyland and Down- the exclusion of [undocumented town Disney would reopen soon. immigrants] from the apportionLess than a month later, Joshua died on ment base, to the extent feasible July 6 after a 26-day battle with COVID-19. and to the maximum extent of In early June, both siblings felt sick, with the President’s discretion under Joshua experiencing a fever and other symp- the law,” the order read. toms related to COVID-19. They got tested The timing of Trump’s memo and quarantined at home together as they is crucial. Congressional district waited six days until the results came back lines will be redrawn in 2021 positive. and what hangs in the balance “When he gets sick, it’s really hard for him is whether or not undocumented to get better. My parents couldn’t come help immigrants would be included because they’re over the age of 60 so I was in population counts in those the one who took care of him,” Jasmine re- districts. counted. “It was one of the longest weeks of Also, the president’s memo arrives as the 2020 U.S. Cen-
Legal and civil rights organizations condemn Trump for blocking ‘undocumented immigrants from fair representation’
Fil-Am nurse who documented love for Disney on Instagram dies from COVID-19 by CHRISTINA
M. ORIEL
AJPress
Joshua Obra, 29, died on July 6 from complications related to COVID19 after 26 days in the hospital. A registered nurse by day, Obra documented his love for the Disneyverse on Instagram under the name, @DisneylandPanda. Photo courtesy of Jasmine Obra
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Nine more overseas Filipinos contract COVID-19
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Legal and housing experts predict a ‘tsunami of evictions’ as more Americans become unable to pay rent, housing costs
for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is clear – only foreigners with existing long-term visas will be allowed entry beginning August 1,” he said in a statement. He warned, “So if you are not a permanent
THIS past spring, Joshua Obra and his younger sister Jasmine moved to Anaheim, California to be closer to Disneyland. The siblings considered the theme park their “second home,” as they would visit at least once a week since getting annual passes five years ago. As a family, the Obras experienced the six Disneylands around the world and went on three out of the four Disney Cruise lines. “That was our specialty in the family. When the pandemic started, Josh wanted to go on a Disney Cruise because it was so cheap,” Jasmine, 21, told the Asian Journal. Joshua, 29, expressed his love for all things Disney online by sharing photos of park attractions and characters on his Ins-
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sus — which began in January — is still underway with about 62.2% nationwide participation so far, according to the Census Bureau’s website. Much like his proposal to include a citizenship question on the census survey, the memorandum, if enforced, would shift the balance of power in the House of Representatives which is dictated by states’ population count. The first census in the U.S. was administered in 1790, and since then, U.S. citizens and noncitizens have always been included in the country’s official population surveys. The Constitution specifies that all “persons” residing in the country should be included in the decennial count to determine the number of representatives states get in the House. (The 14th Amendment went on to specify that the “whole number of persons in each state” should be counted, doing away with the classification of slaves as “threefifths” of a free person.) Like Trump’s past efforts to
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From the Front Page
BI: Only foreigners with long...
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resident here, do not attempt to travel to the Philippines because you will be excluded and denied entry by our immigration officers.” BI Port Operations Division Acting Chief Grifton Medina also said that only those who fall under the following four categories will be allowed entry starting next month: • Those who were issued nonimmigrant visas under Section 13 of the Immigration act; • Those who acquired resident status under Republic Act 7919 or Alien Social Integration Act; • Those who availed of Executive Order 324 or Alien Legalization Program; and, • Native-born foreign nationals Likewise, diplomats and for-
eigners married to Filipinos and their dependents will be allowed in the country. “We are therefore advising the different airlines to take note of these latest travel guidelines so that they can accordingly inform their foreign customers who may wish to book their flights to the Philippines,” Medina said. Malacañang on Friday, July 17 announced that foreign nationals with long-term visas will be allowed entry into the Philippines starting August 1, following the Inter-Agency Task Force’s meeting. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated that as the airports and seaports in the Philippines are complying with social distancing rules, a maximum capacity of travelers will be enforced. The resolu-
tion passed by the IATF says that it will prioritize returning overseas Filipinos in the ports of entry. While the Philippine government shoulders the quarantine and testing costs for returning overseas Filipino workers, returning Filipinos who are not OFWs normally shoulder the quarantine and test costs out of their own pockets. “Foreign nationals must also secure a pre-booked accredited quarantine facility and a prebooked COVID-19 testing provider,” Roque said on Friday. The quarantine procedure normally takes at least three days and up to a week as arriving passengers have to wait for COVID-19 test results. In March, the Philippines banned the entry of foreign nationals into the country. n
Anti-terror law takes effect in the...
PAGE A1 The new law enables the suspected “terrorist” to also be placed under surveillance for 60 days, extendable by up to 30 more days, by the police or the military. Acts punishable under the law include: • Engaging in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person, or endangers a person’s life; • Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, public place, or private property; • Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive interference with, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure; • Developing, manufacturing, possessing, acquiring, transporting, supplying or using weapons; and • Releasing of dangerous substances, or causing fire, floods or explosions. • Any person who proposes, incites, conspires, participates in the planning, training, preparation, and facilitation of a terrorist act, as well as those who will provide material support to terrorists and recruit members in a terrorist organization, will
also be penalized by life imprisonment without the benefit of parole. Meanwhile, anyone who threatens to commit terrorism, and those who propose any terroristic acts or incite others to commit terrorism, will suffer imprisonment of 12 years. This goes the same for anyone who voluntarily and knowingly joins any organization, association or group of persons knowing that such is a terrorist organization. ‘Won’t violate human rights’ Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, for his part, assured American lawmakers that the anti-terror law will not violate human rights. In a letter dated July 16 addressed to the 50 U.S. lawmakers who recently asked for the law’s repeal, Romualdez pointed out that the anti-terror law “expressly excludes legitimate exercises of the freedom of expression and to peaceably assembly engaging in advocacy, protest, dissent, mass action and other similar exercises that are not intended to cause death or serious physical harm to a person, to endanger a person’s
life, or to create a serious risk to public safety.” “The Philippines remains committed to the protection of civil and political liberties as well as human rights. The AntiTerrorism Act itself strongly mandates that human rights shall be absolute and protected at all times,” he said. The envoy also assured that the law has safeguards in place to prevent abuses. Romualdez noted that the Human Security Act of 2007, which the new law replaced, was ineffective in addressing terrorism threats in the Philippines. “The Anti-Terrorism Act aims to plug the loopholes in the Human Security Act by putting in place a more effective legal framework that would enable a criminal justice response to terrorist acts beyond that allowed for by the Revised Penal Code,” he said. “I appreciate the opportunity to openly communicate with esteemed members of the U.S. Congress on matters of sovereign importance to the Philippines, particularly inasmuch as these may have a bearing on the deep and long-standing alliance between our two countries,” he added. n
Jollibee opened a second Jersey City store last week. It is located on the plaza level of Journal Square, a major transit hub in New Jersey. The Journal Square store of Jollibee is open for call-in, pickup and takeout. Officials say that delivery via DoorDash will be available next week. AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya
Jollibee expansion in the US continues, opens... PAGE A1
She handles the eight stores in Virginia Beach, Florida, New Jersey and New York. Caleon shared that the store was supposed to open last January but delays hampered the opening and then the lockdown happened last March when New York and New Jersey became the epicenter of the pandemic. They continued to work on both stores and when they got the final clearance from Port Authority, they opened Journal Square last week starting with a simple store blessing with the team. Because of the current situation, the opening was devoid of fanfare, a stark contrast to the grand opening festivities people are used to seeing. Jollibee’s opening of its Woodside store in Queens in February 2009 and Manhattan in October 2018 were both packed and crowded with long lines outside even before the doors were flung open. No amount of snow or heavy rain could have prevented the horde of diners from falling in line to witness these events. The Filipino fast-food chain’s first store in New Jersey opened in Jersey City’s Greenville neighborhood in 2012. The newest store is on the plaza level of Journal Square, a major transit hub in the state where commuters take the PATH train or bus to New York or Newark.
Fan favorites like Chickenjoy, Jollibee’s world-famous fried chicken; Filipino-style Jolly spaghetti, U.S.-exclusive chicken sandwich and Peach Mango pie are all available. They also announced that palabok and breakfast meals will be available starting this week.
Management has assured that the store’s employees know and practice safety precautions to ensure safety for them and their customers. There are designated marks on the floor for social distancing and hand sanitizers are available for employees and customers. There are also plexiglass barriers on the counters and employees are required to wash their hands every 15 minutes, according to store manager Rose Francisco. She is proud to be a part of a company that is helping provide jobs for people. “The store’s opening has provided jobs for many residents and opened up opportunities despite the pandemic,” she said.
Around 55 people are currently employed in this location with Filipinos comprising about 60% of the total. Among them is Janishin Que, who is just thankful that she can work again. “Medyo matagal na walang work, ngayon makakatulong na uli sa pagbayad ng rent (It was kind of a long time without work, now I can help again with paying rent),” she said. In the U.S., Jollibee is now in the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Virginia, and in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada. (Momar G. Visaya/AJPress)
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57% of new cases of COVID-19 in LA County are in people under 41 years old consecutive day of over 2,200 hospitalizations. Testing results are available THE Los Angeles County De- for over 1,559,000 individuals partment of Public Health con- with 9.6% of all people testing firmed 50 new deaths and 2,741 positive. new cases of COVID-19 on Tues“Every day we think of the day, July 21. Of the latest positive many families experiencing the cases, 57% occurred in people profound grief of losing a loved under the age of 41 years old. one to COVID-19,” said Barbara The numbers continue to con- Ferrer, director of the county firm that younger people are public health. “The tragedy of driving new infections and the what we are witnessing is that spread of COVID-19, the depart- many of our younger residents ment said. are interacting with each other Public Health has identified and not adhering to the recom161,673 positive cases of CO- mended prevention measures, VID-19 across all areas of LA while our older residents conCounty, and a total of 4,154 tinue to experience the results deaths since March. of this increased spread with Currently, 2,218 individu- the worst health outcomes, inals are currently hospitalized, cluding death.” with 26% of these people being Of the 50 new deaths, 34 confirmed cases in the ICU and people who passed away (ex18% confirmed cases on venti- cluding Long Beach and Pasalators. Tuesday marked the third dena) were over the age of 65
by AJPress
years old and 15 people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years. Thirty-nine people had underlying health conditions, including 29 people over the age of 65 years old and 10 people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach. Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,867 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 47% of deaths occurred among Latino residents, 26% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents ident n
Fil-Am nurse who documented love for... PAGE A1
my life, just checking on him every hour and monitoring his temperature and blood pressure.” A week after testing positive, Jasmine drove her brother to the emergency room as his condition worsened. That was the last time she saw him. Six days into his hospital stay, Joshua was put on a ventilator and moved to the ICU, where he spent nearly three weeks until his passing. The day he died, Jasmine went to take another test as her symptoms subsided. Though she was not directly informed yet, she received a text from a cousin: “I’m going to miss him so much.” Her parents came over, wearing masks, to tell her the news. “I was obviously devastated,” Jasmine said. “The first thing I asked was, ‘What happened?’ because it was all so fast and we weren’t expecting it. For me, all the updates I was getting were like, his vitals are stable. Then he died that Monday.” By day, Joshua was the nursing supervisor at Intercommunity Care Center in Long Beach, a skilled nursing facility that specializes in the treatment of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. The Southern California native’s passion for serving others drew him to the field early on as he became a licensed vocational nurse right after high school and then earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2016. He got the job at the Long Beach facility last fall and his sister worked alongside him as a nursing student. In the Disneyverse, Joshua connected most with Baymax, a health care robot from “Big Hero 6.” “Baymax is a health care companion and that was Joshua. He was fluffy. He even had the little mannerisms like Baymax and would wobble around or fist bump with friends. Every time we watched that, that was always the character he related to,” Jasmine said. Despite their eight-year age difference, the Obra siblings were inseparable and hardly went to the theme park without the other. “The obsession with Disney happened together after we got our annual passes,” Jasmine recalled. With an eye for detail, Joshua approached each visit to the park equipped with his DSLR camera and a mission to document its allure. “[What] he always had to do was take a picture of something.
DEVOTION. A woman offers prayers at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at the corner of Mother Ignacia Avenue and Scout Ojeda Street in Quezon City. Many churches and places of worship have reopened as the government now allows them to hold religious gatherings at 10-percent capacity, subject to health and safety protocols. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
Nine more overseas Filipinos contract... PAGE A1 deaths. The Middle East and Africa, covering 27 countries, has reported 6,605 cases; of which, 2,380 are undergoing treatment, 375 deaths and 3,850 recoveries. The Asia Pacific region, which spans across 17 countries, has 767 cases, with 148 under treatment, 613 recoveries, and six
deaths. The Americas — covering seven countries like the United States — have 698 reported cases, with 119 undergoing treatment, 410 recoveries, and 169 deaths. “With these new developments, the DFA shall continue to keep track of the status of Filipinos abroad and stands ready to
earnestly assist and facilitate repatriations, whenever possible,” said the DFA. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the total number of infected individuals has reached 70,764 after the Department of Health confirmed 1,951 new COVID-19 cases. The death toll has risen to 1,837 and the number of recovered patients to 23,281. n
Trump signs memorandum excluding...
Despite their eight-year age difference, Joshua and Jasmine Obra were inseparable and bonded by using their annual passes to Disneyland.
PAGE A1 manifest his immigration agenda, the president’s memo will likely be challenged in court. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has continued to challenge Trump’s immigration proposals, and in response to Tuesday’s memorandum, the ACLU once again pledged to take legal action. And like the federal court’s decision on the citizenship question, the courts will determine that Tuesday’s directive will be found unconstitutional, hopes Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “[Trump’s] latest attempt to weaponize the census for an attack on immigrant communities will be found unconstitutional. We’ll see him in court, and win, again,” Ho said. Along with the ACLU, other
groups that have previously taken legal action against the Trump administration signaled that they are once again preparing to file a suit against Tuesday’s memorandum. Mirroring the ACLU’s sentiments, the civil rights and legal organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice condemned the president’s memo, saying that it is an attempt by the administration to sabotage “each of our communities to be under-resourced and underrepresented for the next decade.” “We will not be moved by the president’s attempts to silence people in our country,” Advancing Justice said in a statement. “This is the latest in a series of attempts to politicize the census and use it as a weapon in his anti-immigrant agenda. It is a move straight
out of the white supremacists’ playbook that has every discriminatory practice to restrict the rights of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian American people.” Advancing Justice also reminded those who haven’t taken the census survey — which comprises nine simple questions about those living in each household — to fill out and submit their form, which can be done online. “Even in the face of racism, we will not be silenced. To individuals in our communities, do not be deterred. Everyone should be counted in the census,” they said. “Asian Americans Advancing Justice will continue to push for a fair and accurate count of all individuals in this country. We vow to fight this unconstitutional attack.” n
Legal and housing experts predict a ‘tsunami...
Obra (right) is survived by his parents Onofre and Cynthia and younger sister Jasmine. The family has visited all six Disneylands around the world and went on three out of the four Disney Cruise lines. Photos courtesy of Jasmine Obra
He would find the most beautiful angles of Disneyland to share the Disney magic with everyone and everything that the park has,” Jasmine said. Joshua contributed his photos of the park and various events as an ABC7 eyewitness over the years. The local station remembered him on Instagram as a “sweet and kind man, and a talented photographer.” “The weekend shutterbug says he’s inspired by his fellow photographers, and lives by this
Obra worked as a nursing supervisor at Intercommunity Care Center in Long Beach, California.
motto: the shots you take today are the memories of tomorrow,” it wrote. Though Jasmine couldn’t physically be with her parents to mourn, the tributes and messages about Joshua and his online persona have provided some comfort. On the DisneylandPanda account, individuals commented how they enjoyed viewing Disneyland through his perspective and how he would always respond if they had questions about the theme park or needed suggestions. “There have been times we’d be at the park and someone would ask him for a picture and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re Disneyland Panda!’ He didn’t know he was that popular. He was so humble,” Jasmine said. “We were able to find the Disney community and now, we share the same friends who have become part of our extended family.” Joshua left behind a trove of photos and a supportive online community. Jasmine promises to honor him by keeping the popular Instagram account active and continuing to pursue her health care career. Going five months into the pandemic, Jasmine said she “gets really heated” about seeing people defying orders and not practicing social distancing. “I’m obviously going to feel strongly about this because I lost my brother,” she said. “It’s not some joke. We have to work together in order to [get through] the pandemic by following regulations and doing our part…because health care workers are out there saving lives and it puts their lives at risk.” Joshua is also survived by his parents Onofre and Cynthia Obra, who both immigrated from the Philippines. n
PAGE A1 erally-subsidized homes in April and is set to expire July 25. On Friday, July 17, experts in housing policy, medicine and law spoke to ethnic media representatives in a press briefing to unpack the inevitable “tsunami of evictions” that’ll put 28 million renters in danger of losing their homes. “At a time when sheltering in place is paramount to stabilizing the United States and controlling the pandemic, our country is on the brink of a housing crisis of unprecedented magnitude and with no safety net beneath us,” said Emily A. Benfer, the director of the Health Justice Clinic at Wake Forest School of Law and co-creator of the COVID-19 Housing Policy Scoreboard at Princeton University. Before the pandemic even began, the nation was already facing a housing crisis with 25.5 million families at risk of losing their homes, Benfer explained, and only 25% of those families were eligible for housing subsidies. On average, seven evictions were filed every minute in 2016 when the national unemployment rate was 4.7%. The national unemployment rate in April was just under 15% and has since dropped to 11.1%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the decline in the unemployment rate is expected to increase again as the COVID-19 case numbers continue to spike across the country, forcing state and national leaders to consider implementing stronger saferat-home orders to help mitigate the virus. “To put this in perspective, 10 million people were displaced from their homes over the course of years following the foreclosure crisis in 2008. We are on track to surpass that number in just four months,” Benfer said. Renters in communities of color are particularly at risk, especially Black and Latino households, Benfer noted. Medical policy experts over the last few months have unanimously found that job loss, income insecurity as well as positive transmission of the disease have disproportionately affected the Black community. This makes the need for additional financial assistance and renters’ protections not just an issue of government responsi-
bility to its people but a race and generational concern, as well. Margot Kushel, director of the Center for Vulnerable Populations at UC San Francisco, said that children of renters are also a drastically affected class, pointing out that the loss of a home — and the stress that causes — will lead to disturbance in education and overall mental and emotional well-being. Kushel also expects a 20% to 40% increase in homelessness if these moratoriums expire. In California, a state that has for years suffered its own pressing housing issue, lawmakers have put forth efforts to address homelessness during COVID-19 like Project Homekey, a $600 million state-funded program designed to buy hotels and motels to house people on the streets. “But this will be a drop in the bucket for people who are currently experiencing homelessness and will not address the new inflows of homelessness,” Kushel said, sharing that these long-term solutions that will actually lower the homelessness rate in California rely on increasing affordable housing and expanding financial support and protections for renters. Nevertheless, motel and hotel conversion is a proven model that has helped the homeless community in the past. In 2015, Akash Kalia converted his father’s hotel in Santa Rosa, California into a shelter that housed the homeless in his community. Among industries afflicted by the pandemic, the hospitality industry took a major hit, but Kalia offered a solution for hotel and motel owners whose businesses have suffered immensely. He was able to house individuals for about $13,000 per year and provide support services like rehabilitation and mental health care. “Hotel owners in California have the ability to salvage their livelihoods by really accepting this model,” he said. “None of us know how long the hospitality industry is going to be hit, and this is a way for hotel owners to maintain business viability and also provide a social good for the most vulnerable population.” California currently has the
largest homeless population in the country, comprising 22% of the nation’s homeless — about 150,000 people, according to a 2018 tally from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Additionally, 45% of Californians are renters and, cognizant of this, Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month extended the state’s eviction moratorium to Sept. 30. But the current state of housing instability and tenants’ protections brings forward the inequities of existing housing and renting policy that favors landlords over renters, said Nisha Vyas, senior attorney at the Western Center for Law and Poverty. Landlords are represented by attorneys while most tenants are not and don’t have the resources for legal representation. More than 75% of eviction lawsuits (for which tenants must file responses within five days) are filed and settled within 45 days, a system that favors landlords’ need for efficient removal of tenants over the renters who risk being homeless. At the highest risk, Vyas said, are low-income households where 90% of the overall income goes towards paying rent. “The process is designed to be very efficient and to provide consistent results for landlords to be able to eject tenants and recover their properties. There’s often very little regard for the outcome of tenants,” Vyas explained. Currently, a bill that would establish a process for tenants to pay back owed rent is in the California Senate Judiciary committee pending approval. AB 1436 would also allow landlords to seek legal intervention on unpaid rent by way of civil action instead of evictions as well as restrict the influence of evictions on a renter’s credit history. Vyas continued, “Evictions have played a significant role in creating California’s affordable housing crisis and our homelessness crisis. We’ve talked about the eviction crisis as a tsunami and that metaphor is intended to capture the magnitude of the crisis but this is not a natural disaster. It’s a disaster of our own making. To prevent it, we need to advocate for meaningful governmental intervention.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
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SWS: Filipinos’ trust in US, Australia, China drops PNP chief claims victory in drug war by aJPress A new survey by the Social weather Stations revealed that the Filipinos’ trust in the United States, Australia, and China suffered a drop in the first half of the year. The U.S. earned a net trust rating of “good” +42, while Australia got “moderate” at +27. China, on the other hand, received a net trust rating of “bad” at -36. According to the SwS, the U.S. suffered the biggest drop in net trust rating, going down from a “very good” +67 in December last year. “net trust in the U.S. has been positive since the SwS first surveyed it in December 1994. Out of 68 surveys, it ranged from ‘moderate’ +18 in May 2005 to ‘excellent’ +82 in December
2013,” it noted. The new survey found that 60% of adult Filipinos said they have “much trust” in the U.S., while 18 percent said they have “little trust” in the country. Australia’s net trust rating also fell down six points, from its “good” +33 in December 2019. This was the lowest net trust score obtained by Australia, with 49% of Filipino adults saying they have “much trust” and 22% saying they have “little trust” in the country. Meanwhile, China’s net trust rating further declined from its “poor” -27 in December last year, with only 22% of Filipinos expressing “much trust” against the 58% who expressed they have “little trust” in the country. The SwS noted that this was the country’s lowest net trust rating since the “bad” -37 it re-
ceived in April 2016. “net trust in China has been positive in only nine out of 53 surveys since the SwS first surveyed it in August 1994. It reached as high as ‘moderate’ +17 in June 2010 and as low as ‘bad’ -46 in September 2015,” the SwS said. The survey, conducted from July 3 to 6, used mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing of 1,555 adult Filipinos, 18 years old and above, randomly drawn from a database of mobile phone numbers compiled from SwS national and subnational representative faceto-face surveys since 2017. SwS also noted the sampling error margins of ±2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, and ±5% for Balance Luzon, ±5% Visayas, and ±5% in Mindanao. n
Ban political dynasties, Duterte urged by Bernadette
tamayo ManilaTimes.net
SenATe Minority Leader Franklin Drilon urged President Rodrigo Duterte to ban political dynasties to put an end to the “real oligarchy” in the country. In a recent online media forum, the senator stressed that political dynasties were the real oligarchs that should be dismantled. “we must review the whole structure because the structure may in fact or make oligarchy easy to achieve. The lack of an anti-dynasty system or provision in our system allows oligarchy to continue,” said Drilon. Political dynasties, he added, wield power for their own benefit: “It has gone so bad that these dynasties now hold simultaneous national and local positions.” According to him, oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people, which use their power to seek personal gain or benefit for their business interests. “You cannot equate rich and oligarch, meaning it does not mean that if you are rich, you are an oligarch,” Drilon said. The Senate minority leader made the statement after the President said he ended oligarchy in the country without declaring martial law. “An oligarch is the one that influences the decision of the government or the one using their political power, their wealth in order that the policy that they want to protect their interest will be pursued,” Drilon said. He believes that the President has the capacity to push for the passing of the anti-political dy-
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon
nasty bill in Congress since majority of the House of Representative members are his allies. He stressed that oligarchy is detrimental to a country, which is why there is a need to form a policy that will put a stop to it. “Oligarchy is bad for our governance and, therefore, as a policy, yes, we should adopt policies to prevent or dismantle these oligarchies. But let’s make sure that the oligarchs are not substituted by cronies,” Drilon said. Sen. Francis Pangilinan shared Drilon’s observation. “we challenge this administration to make a difference and certify the anti-political dynasty bill as urgent, so that it will move in Congress,” the senator said in a statement. “It’s long overdue. It is ordered by the Constitution. It has to progress in Congress, and it will only do so with the President’s imprimatur,” Pangilinan added. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of
ManilaTimes.net photo
Codes said data showed that “dynasties are pervasive in the 10 poorest provinces in the country.” “while several bills have been filed in the past — with the Senate even coming up with a committee report on the anti-dynasty bill in the 17th Congress — these were never really acted upon and advanced to become a law,” he continued. Pangilinan filed Senate Bill 264 in July 2019 defining and prohibiting political dynasties. However, the bill “has hardly moved.” He said Congress had the constitutional duty to enact a law defining and prohibiting the establishment of political dynasties in accordance with the intent of Section 26, Article 2 of the 1987 Constitution. “Three decades later and despite numerous attempts to enact such legislation, there is still no enabling law prohibiting political dynasties in the country,” Pangilinan lamented. n
Involuntary hunger among Filipino families climbs to 20.9% in July – survey by Franco Luna Philstar.com
MAnILA — An estimated 5.2 million Filipino families found themselves without food to eat at least once in the past three months, new survey data suggests. According to a new survey by the Social weather Stations, 20.9% of Filipinos experienced involuntary hunger at least once, 15.8% of which were categorized as having experienced moderate hunger, while 5.1% were described as going through severe hunger. The survey also showed a trend of rising hunger: for the month of July, hunger was up by 4.2 points from 16.7% in May, and by a total of 12.1 points from 8.8% in December 2019. “Moderate Hunger rose from 13.9% in May 2020 to 15.8% in July 2020. This is the highest since the 17.6% (est. 3.8 million families) in September 2014. Severe Hunger rose from 2.8% in May 2020 to 5.1% in July 2020. This is the highest since the 5.4% (est. 1.2 million families) in June 2013,” the survey report read. Hunger was highest in the Visayas (27.2% estimated 1.3 million families) and Mindanao (24.2% or some 1.4 million families) while hunger incidence was “higher among households of non-elementary graduate respondents.” The figure also marks the highest degree of hunger since another SwS mobile phone survey conducted in September 2014 that logged 22% of Filipinos (4.8 million) experiencing involuntary hunger. The survey, SwS said, interviewed 1,555 adult Filipinos via mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing and with sampling error margins of ±2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, and ±5 for Balance Luzon, ±5% for the Visayas, and ±5% for Mindanao.
Photo courtesy of SWS
Respondents were asked: “nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain?” (In the last three months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and did not have anything to eat?) Previous surveys indicate worsening circumstances for Filipinos Separate SwS surveys found that 77% of Filipinos wear masks when going out and 87% of them were more afraid of catching COVID-19 compared to past viruses—while four out of five left the house at least once and at most thrice in the week. Respondents of that survey said they did so for essentials, mainly food. Yet, administration officials continue to lean on the narrative that the skyrocketing coronavirus caseload in the country is due to “stubborn” Filipinos whom Interior Undersecretary Martin Diño recommended a “shame campaign” for “out of (his) utter disgust and exasperation over such behavior.” Despite earlier administration claims that the country is winning the war against the coronavirus pandemic, the past surveys
conducted by the polling institution—which is typically parroted by the Palace when it presents flattering narratives—have not painted the best picture of the administration’s handling of the pandemic. One survey found that 83% of Filipinos felt they were worse off compared to a year ago in terms of the quality of their lives, marking what SwS called “the worst trend in survey history.” Another found that Filipinos are generally unsure as to whether the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over or has still yet to come. As early as March 2020, Malacañang said it was pleased with the “excellent” net satisfaction rating of the Duterte administration by SwS. Later on in June, though, it said that it was “not surprised” by new survey data found that a recordhigh 43% of Filipinos anticipate that their lives will worsen in the next 12 months. In response to the dire results, Malacañang said the number should be 100% because every Filipino is struggling in the pandemic. Though life has indeed drastically changed for many in the past months, not all have had to go through hunger and employment in the middle of a pandemic. n
by darwin
Pesco ManilaTimes.net
PHILIPPIne national Police (PnP) chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa on Monday, July 20 declared that the country had been victorious in its war on illegal drugs. “Generally, yes, we have won. As a matter of fact, we have reduced the number of users,” he said in a virtual briefing. Gamboa also cited the recent seizure of huge caches of illegal drugs that resulted in the scarcity of supply. The country’s police chief said the government provided ample support to the operating units that went after high-value drug personalities. Based on PnP data, 6.5 tons of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride had been seized since July 1, 2016. Under Gamboa, 2.2 tons of illegal drugs were recovered from high-value targets, which translat-
PNP Chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa
ed to 34 percent of the total drug haul for the past three years. According to PnP Director of Operations MGen. emmanuel Luis Licup, since 2016, the police had conducted more than 217,000 drug operations, leading to the arrest of 337,000 individuals. He noted that the police were continuing to hunt down highvalue targets.
ManilaTimes.net photo
“Marami po tayong nahuli na malakihan dahil po nag-concentrate ang operatives natin dito sa high-value targets (we had a huge haul because we focused on high-value targets),” the official said. Gamboa plans to destroy all seized drugs to dispel public suspicion on the integrity of the PnP’s anti-illegal drug operations. n
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OPINION & FEATURES
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Deaths in the NBP
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WON’T controversies ever end at the national penitentiary? Armored vehicles and Special Action Force commandos have been fielded to curb illegal activities including drug trafficking operations of inmates in the New Bilibid Prisons. The rot in the NBP and its supervising agency the Bureau of Corrections, however, has often involved their own personnel. BuCor officials and prison guards have been linked to rackets such as the grant of luxurious amenities and prolonged stays in private hospitals to moneyed inmates. Before the pandemic, there was the scandal over the early release of inmates based on good conduct time allowance. Amid the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the Department of Justice is looking into suspicions that the public health crisis might have opened opportunities for illegal activities in the corrections system. The DOJ has initiated a probe into the deaths of 21 inmates allegedly due to COVID-19, with 24 others suspected to have succumbed to the coronavirus. Apart from checking the health conditions in the country’s main prison facility, the DOJ is looking into the intriguing detail that nine of the fatalities were high-value inmates linked to drug trafficking
operated from the nBP. The most well known, Jaybee Sebastian, was a star witness in the case that put Sen. Leila de Lima behind bars without bail. Because they were classified as COVID cases, the remains of Sebastian and those of the other fatalities were immediately cremated, according to BuCor officials. So it is now nearly impossible to determine the cause of death – unless someone emerges to contradict the story. with bodies supposedly reduced to ashes, it may even be difficult to determine if the prisoners are actually dead or, as even some lawmakers are speculating, whether they were simply allowed to walk to freedom. Apart from the DOJ, the Senate is set to conduct a probe into this latest controversy. will such a probe ferret out the truth? Considering the circumstances, senators face a daunting challenge. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
‘Res Ipsa Loquitur’: After killing ABS-CBN franchise, video call reveals Duterte’s minions now strategize to take over network and seize its assets
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS ReS IPSA LOQUITUR. The thing speaks for itself. I remember learning a lot about legal terms in Latin on the legal talk, public service and drama radio program on DZMM with the late Philippine Senator Rene Cayetano, the good father of House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. The “Compañero ng Bayan”, as I fondly called him, would give pro-bono legal advice to my radio listeners, sharing my objective to make ordinary Filipino people more aware of their rights and obligations as provided for by the law. The Filipino people rewarded the elder Cayetano by catapulting him to the Philippine Senate in 1998. Res Ipsa Loquitur. The thing speaks for itself. I believe the late Compañero will agree with me that this legal term is very much applicable to the online forum live-streamed on Facebook and shared on various social media platforms. After killing the ABS-CBn franchise on July 10, a Zoom video call shows that Dutere’s minions are now strategizing on ways to seize the assets of and take over ABS-CBn. As InterAksyon reported, and as viewed by Filipinos all over the world on social media, “Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta (Sagip Party-list), Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla (Cavite, 7th District), Rep. Michael “Mike” Defensor (Anakalusugan Party-list) and Rep. Yedda Romualdez (Tingog Sinirangan Party-list) talked about the different ways that ABS-CBn’s properties could be used and acquired, including seizing the broadcast giant’s sprawling headquarters in Quezon City.” Cognizant of the fact that an
overwhelming majority of Filipinos surveyed (75 percent) said Congress should have renewed the franchise of ABSCBn, this “leaking” of such sensitive (or should I say insensitive) zoom meeting was purposely done by Defensor. The Partylist Anakalusgan representative, who appeared to be more obsessed about killing the franchise of ABS-CBn than to help kill COVID-19 as he has sworn to do, hosted the informal meeting and made the streaming public on his official Facebook page. The report said Defensor contended that “the online discussion was meant to “explain” the franchise committee’s technical working group’s recommendation on rejecting ABS-CBn’s application, which was eventually upheld by the House panel.” President Rodrigo Duterte — whose vow was: “ Ikaw, ABSCBn, ang inyong franchise, mag-end next year. If you are expecting na ma-renew Yan, I’m sorry. You’re out” — must be very happy with his minions in Congress. After all, he has repeatedly threatened to shutdown the network for not airing some of his campaign ads [regional ads, because of shorter time allocation, per ABS-CBn President Carlo Katigbak] during the 2016 Presidential elections with Speaker Cayetano as his running mate, and not issuing the campaign the refund for unaired materials. After all, he has made public again and again with expletives you wouldn’t want your children to hear from their president, his rage against ABS-CBn’s critical reporting of him and especially of his war on drugs, his hatred for ABSCBn management, especially
Chairman emeritus Gabby Lopez, for failing to air his campaign ads. After all, Duterte himself said “Yun namang ABS-CBn binaboy ako. Pero sinabi ko kapag ako nanalo, bubuwagin ko ang oligarchy ng Pilipinas.” He also said, “’Yung kaibigan kong tumutulong, ‘pag yumaman ka nang yumaman, mas maligaya ako (My friends who are helpful, if you get richer and richer, I will be happy).” After all, it was Duterte himself, amid his threats, who urged ABS-CBn to sell the network to a new owner. Some have speculated that the president’s friend Dennis Uy, who donated P30 million to Duterte’s campaign, will acquire the Lopez-owned network, as Rappler reported. Amid his doublespeak and quoting verses from the Bible, Speaker Cayetano never had a single hearing about the franchise renewal even before the pandemic, and waited for the franchise to expire, despite numerous petitions waiting to be heard as early as 2014. After all, the rule of law mandates that franchise renewal applicants should be accorded a fair hearing before any decision is made. Furthermore, contrary to the treatment given to other applicants, ABS-CBn was not allowed to operate while the decision was pending. worse, the dishonorable minions who voted to kill the franchise did not take into consideration the testimonies given by the officials of the Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Bureau of Internal Revenue, national Telecommunications commission, that ABS-CBn had no violations of the provisions of its franchise as alleged by detractors in the court of public opinion. They
also penalized the network for issues which were non-issue in their treatment of other franchise applicants like GMA-7. On February 24, Duterte’s former aide turned Senator Bong Go was quoted in a Rappler article, saying the president was “hurt” as ABS-CBn chose to air “black propaganda” instead of “legitimate” ads paid for by the Duterte campaign. “Kung masama ka sa Pangulo, mas maging masama siya sa ‘yo (If you are mean to the president, he will be meaner to you),” he says. ReS IPSA LOQUITUR. The thing speaks for itself. The politics of vendetta and cronyism and political dynasty in the Philippines. Condoned and perpetuated not only by the three supposedly independent and coequal branches of government, but by many Filipinos who are loyal Duterte supporters. Mrs. Chita Lopez-Taylor, the mother of Gabby Lopez and widow of the late Geny Lopez, the one who built ABS-CBn, shared with me a statement from a priest which she allowed me to share in my column. I can only imagine what Tita Chita is going through right now, after having experienced how the Marcos dictatorship imprisoned her husband, sequestered ABS-CBn when martial law was declared in 1972, all because of a vendetta for the network’s reporting. The Lopezes were only able to take back the broadcast headquarters in 1986 when Marcos was deposed by People Power. Here is the statement: WE ARE BACK TO THE STREETS I was here in these same streets with a throng of discontented crowd last February 24-25, 1986. That was 34 years ago when I was still a young seminarian. Today, I am back
with the same arms in protest. Deja vu! Despite the COVID-19 scare, people are out again - from Makati, from Luneta, from Quezon City - raising their fist, honking their horns, shouting, creating any kind of noise. I can again feel what I felt during the days of People Power - the emotion, the disgust, the anger, the dedication, the commitment, the youthful faces. Why are they risking their lives when the virus is just lurking in the air? Because something is wrong, terribly wrong. There was even a young lady who brought out her body and sat by the side window of her car with tears falling on her cheeks as she raised her arm in silence. She was not born yet in 1986. But I saw in her eyes the same anger, the same cry, the same “No” that emerges out of the depths of our humanness when our moral fiber is violated. We say “this is wrong” and we raise our fist in protest. I am here for some of my ABSCBN friends - Inday Espina-Varona, Eli Sepe, Ilsa Reyes, Paul Catada, and several others. But I am also here in the name of thousands of people whom I do not know, their camera men, drivers, waitresses in restaurants, production assistants, technicians of transmitters, tindera ng sari-sari store sa kanto ng Esguerra at Panay, people we do not see on camera, who will go home to their families in the following weeks with nothing, not knowing how to start again. Only because of the personal vendetta of the king by the Pasig river, legitimated by the rude dramatics of his cohorts in Congress. We do not need to be lawyers to see that something is wrong in those hypocritical charades in high places. How many times in this
country shall we see the law being weaponized to kill the poor. No, he has not destroyed the oligarchs in this country; he has killed the poor! I have joined small picket lines of 20-30 workers in some factories or displaced lumad since I was a student. Today, we are talking of 11,000 workers and many others without a future. They and the many victims of this government deserve our support. It is time to stand up, to rise and make our voices be heard. In the face of evil, silence is yes to the status quo. Neutrality is to be complicit with the powers that be. I write my name below to show that I am fully responsible for what I write here; it is necessary especially now that the Terror Law is in effect. Because I also raise my fist in protest of this dangerous and unjust law. I also cry in protest for the extrajudicial killings which I see at close range and their wailing widows and orphans. And I say No to all the values proliferated by this government that is against the basic human sensibilities that my poor parents, my best teachers and my dedicated guides have taught me in my life. Fr. Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M. St. Vincent School of Theology Adamson University danielfranklinpilario@yahoo. com 07.19.2020. *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos.
I’m a Filipino American Republican, but I’m voting for Biden
Commentary
NELSON GARCIA HAVInG been born in Mandaluyong, and knowing the history of American influence in my country of birth, I have always felt an affinity and a deep appreciation to the United States for the opportunities given to me and my family. The success we had during the presidency of Ronald Reagan helped make me a die-hard Republican. It was a party that believed in rewarding hard work, maintaining a strong posture against world communism,
and providing opportunities with the least amount of burdensome regulations. In my youth, I formed the first College Republican chapter at the University of California, Riverside. I then served on the California College Republican state board alongside current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. I was a California delegate to the 1992 Republican national Convention in Houston, and proceeded to work on various campaigns. After graduation, I landed a job as a legislative staff member with three Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Still, I knew from the very beginning that support for Donald
Trump was going to be impossible, due to his obvious inexperience for the job, but also because of his character flaws — his narcissism, his misogyny, and his racism. Since the moment he stepped on that escalator at Trump Tower in new York to declare his candidacy in 2015, I knew that the United States of America was in real danger. His initial attacks on Mexicans as bringing drugs, as bringing crime, as being rapists, were tell-tale signs of where we were headed as a people upon his election as president of the United States. From Charlottesville, to the Muslim-ban, to Tweeting “white
power” videos, culminating in his racist labeling of the coronavirus as the “kung flu,” his presidency showed how much in the gutter the office has become. If this was not enough, we now have over 2.8 million Americans infected with COVID-19, over 140,000 Americans dead, 42.7 million Americans newly unemployed, and an 11.1% American unemployment rate, as among his greatest “accomplishments.” It is with this in mind that I urge my fellow Filipino American Republicans to join me in endorsing and supporting Joe Biden as our next president. Joe has real solutions that can
begin to address the very difficult challenges we Filipino Americans face in these terrible times. Joe has a plan outlined in his website that addresses the scourge of the COVID-19 epidemic, impacting Filipino Americans where they work, as essential workers, in health care, and as small business owners. Joe has a plan outlined that will tackle the difficult issues of immigration and education. And Joe even has ideas laid-out that affect us as a Catholic community. Finally, Joe has a plan that will restore America’s leadership in the world…where the world looks to as a true beacon of hope, respect, human rights,
and democracy. Joe Biden says we are in a fight for the soul of our nation. we need Joe Biden! ••• Since 2009, Nelson Garcia served as the founder and current President of the Washington Intergovernmental Professional Group, LLC (WIPG), a non-partisan professional networking organization dedicated to working closely with Congress and the diplomatic community in Washington, DC. He served in government relations for the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (2003-2008); and the Alliance of American Insurers (2000-2003). He also served in the legislative staff of California Republican Representatives Gary Miller and Ken Calvert, and served four terms as President of the Congressional Legislative Staff Association.
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The untold story of Spanky Rigor seen through the lens of his nephew, Fil-Am author Albert Samaha by
M
California.
MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress
OST Filipinos know VST & Company, and while V & T (brothers Vic and Tito Sotto) continue to bask in the limelight, S as in Spanky Rigor, decided to leave fame and fortune in the homeland for a more peaceful life in
For almost 30 years now, Spanky has worked at the San Francisco International Airport as a baggage handler. Sometimes, people would recognize him and would ask for a selfie. No surprise since VST & Company in their heyday pioneered 70’s disco sound was often referred to as “the Bee Gees of the Philippines.� Over the past few weeks, a video feature on Pop-Up Magazine became viral, furiously shared on social media by diehards of Manila Sound and even occasional fans. Now, even younger people know more about one of the founders behind monster hits that continue to be played in every Filipino gathering that involves line dancing. The idea about the feature came from Albert Samaha, an investigative reporter at BuzzFeed who was fascinated by the backstory. It was a personal project: Spanky Rigor is Albert’s uncle.
“When I was young I knew he’d been in a well-known band called VST & Company, but had no sense of how famous he was,� Samaha shared. “I never thought to dig into that past— which now feels a bit shameful.� His elders would take about it and make passing references
low writer Matt Ortile, who used to be his colleague at BuzzFeed. They were just talking about Philippines stuff and family stuff when it came up. “My friend’s eyes went wide: ‘Spanky Rigor is your uncle?!’ And he explained to me how he knew all about VST, and that his parents listened to them all the time, and that he still listened to them too,� Samaha recalled. As someone who is into investigative journalism, Samaha did more research after that. This was around the time he began to grow more interested in his family’s own history, not just for Spanky but all his elders. In hindsight, he thinks part of this newfound curiosity might have had to do with the fact that he had reached the age where his mom and her siblings had been when they
“When I was young I knew he’d been in a well-known band called VST & Company, but had no sense of how famous he was.� to Spanky’s time in the band, but as a kid, Samaha assumed “they were hyping it up the way my mom hyped up my report cards or science project.� So he kind of knew his uncle was famous, but didn’t realize how famous, especially back in the day when VST was a household name in the Philippines. It wasn’t until Samaha was in his 20s, when he mentioned his uncle to a Filipino friend, fel-
Spanky Rigor was one of the founding members of VST & Company, one of the pioneering ‘70s disco bands and popularly known as “the Bee Gees of the Philippines.� He has worked as a baggage handler at San Francisco International Airport for almost 30 years, since he immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines. Archive images courtesy of VST & Company
migrated to the United States, and their journey no longer felt so distant. “I found myself wondering whether I would’ve [taken] the same path they had, which of course only led me to dig deeper into the reasons they took the paths they did. In fact, if I remember correctly, the reason I mentioned Spanky to my friend at that party was because I was working on an essay exploring my family’s immigration story and had planned a trip to the Philippines to report on it,� he said. Sometime in late 2016, Samaha began to become really curious about his family’s history in the US and was asking
all these questions. From why they came here to what they left behind, and how his elders feel about all that now. He wanted to report this history, and who knows, maybe write a book about it. He knew then it would have to be a longterm thing. He was then still finishing up his first book, “Never Ran, Never Will� and knew only scant details about his family’s history. He knew even fewer details about the historical forces that led to their family’s migration. The planned trip to the Philippines happened and he wrote an essay about his mom’s
support for Duterte in 2017. Later that year, Anita Badejo, a producer at Pop-Up and a former colleague, reached out to ask if Samaha had any stories he wanted to pitch for their show. He pitched a couple of ideas and both got rejected, but from those early brainstorming discussions came the idea that resulted in the final product which was released a couple of weeks ago. So the project began earnestly and Samaha knew he was up for a challenge: asking his elders the hard questions about their past decisions and he was worried about unearthing memories that may have been painful or, at least, difficult. “But my Uncle Spanky, Auntie Ging, and the other relatives I interviewed were generous with their experiences and memoContinued on Page 2
entertainment Sarah finally gets ‘the voice’ to speak over ABS-CBN franchise issue
T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - J ul y 22, 20 2 0
By Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
KAPAMILYA singer Sarah Geronimo finally broke her silence on ABS-CBN’s franchise denial after Angel Locsin called out celebrities to speak up and not just post “cute” things on Instagram. In a lengthy Instagram post, the “The Voice Philippines” coach said ABS-CBN has been a big part of her career. “Malaking bahagi po ng aking karera ang ABS-CBN. Maliban po sa pamilya ko at sa aking manager na si Boss Vic, ang ABS-CBN po ay ang network na ilang beses na sumugal at sumuporta sa akin bilang artista at performer,” she wrote. “Niyakap nila ako at inilagaan nang husto na parang Continued on Page 3 Sarah Geronimo
A screengrab from Youtube shows Michael V. announcing his fight against the coronavirus disease.
Michael V contracts coronavirus disease By iza igleSiaS ManilaTimes.net
VETERAN comedian Michael V. announced on Monday, July 20 that he tested positive for the coronavirus disease. Also popularly known as “Bitoy,” the 50-year-old “Kapuso” actor shared his story through a vlog in his YouTube ABS-CBN photo page titled “#BitoyStory 29: ‘POSITIVE.’”
Bruno Mars marks 10 years of ‘Just The Way You Are’ By ian
Biong Inquirer.net
MULTI-awarded singersongwriter Bruno Mars is celebrating the tenth year since the release of his hit song “Just The Way You Are”, his first single ever. The artist took to Facebook earlier on Tuesday, July 21, to greet the song a happy birthday as he gave fans a dose of nostalgia by sharing a screenshot of his release announcement a decade ago. “I’ll never get tired of singing this song. I dedicate it to all of you today. Happy B-Day Just The Way You Are. #10YearsYoung,” Mars said. The said screenshot is of his tweet posted on July 20, 2010, which read, “My Official First single out NOW on [ITunes]! Just The Way You Are.. I hope yall like it.. And to all my fans you guys are AMAZING! I LOVE U.”
Bruno Mars
Other than being his debut single, “Just The Way You Are” is also the lead song for his first album ever, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans”. Through the song, Mars was able to take home his first-ever Grammy Award in 2010 for Best Male Pop Performance. He has since won 10 more Grammy
Photo from Instagram/@michaelbitoy
Photo from Instagram/@brunomars
Awards and been nominated 27 times in several categories throughout the years. “Just The Way You Are” was certified diamond last year by the Recording Industry Association of America after moving at least 10 million units between sales and streams, as per Forbes on Jan. 24, 2019.
He said he had flu-like symptoms and lost his sense of smell. “Siyempre nag-isolate na agad ako, nag-quarantine na agad ako. I took medicine nagpa-check up ako sa doctor online (Of course, I immediately isolated and quarantined myself. I took my medicine and had an online checkup with a doctor), I got better the following day,” Michael V. said. “Hindi naman tumaas ‘yung
temperature ko (My temperature did not spike). I mean, the highest was 37.1 [degree Celsius]… Isa daw sa mga symptoms ng (They say one of the symptoms of) COVID is loss of smell and taste. I was afraid that it could be something like that kaya tinry ko and, apparently, ang weird because wala akong maamoy ngayon. Kumuha ako ng mga strong na perfume na normally ginagContinued on Page 3
The untold story of Spanky Rigor... From Page 1 ries, and really understood the value of that reflection, especially for those of us in the next generation who knew only the world we were born into,” he shared. He then realized that the biggest challenges ended up being more about how to do their stories justice — what lessons, insights, and conclusions to draw, how their experiences fit into the arc of history. That part took a lot of reading and thinking. “And even now, my understanding of those stories continues to evolve. I don’t think that’ll ever change, but you have to tell the stories when you can, which means deadlines and final drafts,” he explained. “So putting together the pieces, weaving in the historical context, arranging the timeline, picking what details to include or leave out, all building toward some kind of wider meaning, that was probably the central challenge.” Samaha learned some of the biggest life lessons from his uncle, and for that he is grateful. “He taught me the power optimism and warmth can have on others. Before I knew anything about his rockstar days, I’d admired him as an eternally joyous and steady presence, a champion of the underdog, always first to put an arm around anyone who seemed down,” he shared. “He has always struck me as a person at peace, and his enthusiasm for the granular moments of life made a big impression on me growing up.” As he looked back at the past, Samaha thinks that one of the reasons he underestimated his uncle’s celebrity status is that” he always seemed to live in the present: he eats slowly, listens closely, and sees the best in people.” Next Chapter Samaha is now working on his next book “Concepcion,” the bigger project he anticipated when he decided to focus on his family’s decision to migrate to the U.S. This one gets more personal. “At the core, I wanted to better understand how my family ended up in the States. Over my decade or so as a professional writer, I’ve mostly chronicled the stories of others,” he said. He tended to avoid writing anything about himself because there is so much else to write about. But the older he got, and the more stories he heard from his elders, and the more he researched, the more he got drawn to the idea of reporting on his family’s experience. “It’s the story I know best, and though it’s only one thread in the tapestry of the immigrant or American experience, the more threads we can record, study, and reflect on, the more understanding we’ll have of why the world works the way it does,” he quipped. Concepcion is his mom’s family name, and it’s the name that links the main characters in the story: from his grandparents and uncles, aunties to his cousins. “It wasn’t my first idea, or second, or third… I burned through a list of possibilities. “Over the Bridge,” which I think might end up as a chapter title. “Don’t Forget Those Who Fell During the Nighttime,” which is from a Jose Rizal quote that I may use elsewhere in the book,” he shared. For a while, in lieu of a title, Samaha used the name of his favorite VST song, Rock Baby
Albert Samaha works as an investigative reporter at BuzzFeed News. He is working on his next book called “Concepcion.” He wrote his first book, “Never Ran, Never Will,” because he wanted to cultivate some understanding of what football’s place in American society is, will be, and should be. Photo courtesy of Albert Samaha
Rock, as a sort of code name for the book project. When he started writing the proposal, he thought the title would be, simply, “The Concepcions” but when he told his agent, he had the brilliant idea to simplify it further. “That the name also alludes to birth and origins made it feel fitting for the story of people starting fresh in a new place,” he said. Journey to BuzzFeed Samaha currently works as an investigative reporter at BuzzFeed, something he calls his dream job, one that he is in because he was able to catch some lucky breaks early on in his career. “I get to chase stories that interest me, I have editors I trust, and I’m provided the sort of resources that make the job easier, from reporting trips to database subscriptions,” he shared. “I graduated college at a time when newspapers were shutting down and magazines were shrinking, so the precarity of working in journalism is always in the front of my mind.” His first three jobs were at alternative-weeklies, in St. Louis, San Francisco, and New York, where they hire young writers and ask them to fill the paper. He was writing eight or nine features a year while learning how to be a local reporter from editors who had been in journalism longer than he’d been alive. “When I was at the Village Voice in New York, my main beat was criminal justice, and right around the time BuzzFeed News was expanding its operation, the Ferguson uprising happened and suddenly criminal justice became the central issue of the moment, and when BuzzFeed went out looking for someone to cover the topic, I had relevant clips to show them and a bit of experience,” he said. Pursuing Stories with Impact Samaha’s reporting has freed a man from prison, got a police chief fired, and changed laws in six states. “You always hope at the outset that a story can have an impact, but it so rarely happens, so you never expect it. When it does happen, it feels good, obviously, but also like a relief, because it can be disheartening to devote weeks to revealing a problem that doesn’t get fixed,”
he shared. He explained that the 2018 story that changed the laws did so because it caught a wave of public outrage, and a lot of people called (or tweeted at) their congressional representatives. The case at the center of it had made headlines, but the laws that allowed officers to abuse people in their custody were little known: the officers in this case claimed that they’d had consensual sex with a woman they’d pulled over, and in New York state they were allowed to use this defense because the law didn’t automatically classify sex in custody as rape. “I found that dozens of officers had been acquitted through this defense, and after many hours of reading through all 50 state legal codes, I discovered that this loophole existed in 35 states,” he recalled. His 2015 story that led to the police chief getting terminated investigated a narcotics unit in Mississippi that targeted college-age students for minor possession, then pressured them to serve as confidential informants. The officers exaggerated the charges they faced, and discouraged them from speaking with a lawyer or calling their parents. These kids then had to wear a wire and help out on a certain number of drug busts, which usually targeted their friends. “One student recorded his interaction with the unit’s chief and sent it to me, confirming many of the details I’d gathered in my reporting and providing indisputable evidence of the unit’s troubling tactics. The unit’s chief resigned the same day the story was published, under pressure from local officials,” he said. Personal Journey When Samaha last visited the Philippines in April 2017, he went with his mom, for an essay he wrote about Duterte later. His mom grew up in Manila, though her parents are from northern Mindanao. His dad is from Beirut and currently lives there. They met on an airplane. His mom was a flight attendant, his dad a passenger. “They separated when I was young. I lived with my mom in California, but saw my dad at least once a year, and much more often in recent years. I grew up around my mom’s side, so culturally I felt full Filipinx growing up,” he said. His mother has seven siblings and most live in the States. Samaha was born in Vallejo, went to Kindergarten in Manila, first through third grade in San Francisco, fourth grade in San Mateo, then middle school and high school in Sacramento. “I went to six different schools from Kindergarten to 8th grade, and having to keep adapting to those new environments and being constantly presented with the unfamiliar certainly shaped who I am today in ways I’m still untangling,” he said. He considers sports as his gateway into writing. He grew up reading the sports section of the newspaper and Sports Illustrated magazine, and by high school, he knew he enjoyed writing and wanted to keep doing it. This love for writing to a backseat when he checked if he could become a professional football player. He played in his first two years of college, then quit to focus on journalism, something that he enjoys doing to this day.
entertainment
T h e As ian Jou r n al MDWK MAGAZ IN E - Ju l y 2 2 , 2 0 2 0
Nikki asks public to also be kind to celebs By Ian
BIong Inquirer.net
Janine Gutierrez, Rayver Cruz, Rodjun Cruz and Dianne Medina
ACTRESS Nikki Valdez is asking netizens to treat celebrities with a little bit more kindness as she reminds them that celebs are also only human beings. Valdez took to Instagram Photo from Instagram/@rodjuncruz on Monday, July 20, to lament how celebrities, especially those who have been active in supporting ABS-CBN like her, are being ruthlessly attacked by netizens. “[It’s] funny how bashers tend to play victim after The actress reminisced on their time together in Rome by magboomerang sakanila lahat ng pinagsasasabi at ginagawa showing a photo of them posnila,” Valdez jested. (It’s funny ing inside the Colosseum on how bashers tend to play victim her Instagram account. after everything they have done Rayver and Gutierrez have or said boomerangs right back been in a relationship since 2017. Despite constantly being at them.) “We may be ‘artistas’ or teased about following his public figures whose lives are elder brother’s footsteps and exposed to the public but you getting married soon, Rayver have to remember, tao lang din said he does not see himself kami (we are only humans too). settling down just yet. The So pag may sinabi kayong hindi actor explained that he wants maganda, do you expect us everything to be in order before getting married, including to just let it go? Pag sumosobra na kayo, hindi naman ata having his own home for his pwede yun,” she stressed. family, just like Rodjun did. (So if you say something bad, do you expect us to just let it go? When you have already crossed the line, I don’t think that can be allowed.) Valdez’s message was aptly accompanied by a quote that read, “If you can’t be kind, be quiet.” “Being opinionated and tactless or inconsiderate are all different from each other. Trolling is a totally different thing too! Minsan nga kaya pang tanggapin pag troll pero yung hindi, [‘di ko] talaga maintindihan how there can be so much evil in a person,” she emphasized. (Sometimes I can tolerate trolls, but those who are not, I do not really understand how there can be so much evil in a person.) The actress added that people can express their opinions without stepping on others, saying she hopes people will
Rayver marks 31st birthday with Janine, Rodjun Cruz, Dianne By Cha LIno Inquirer.net
AS Rayver Cruz marked his 31st birthday on Monday, July 20, the actor kept the celebration intimate by spending his day with his special someone and his family. Cruz shared his birthday feast with his girlfriend and fellow actor Janine Gutierrez, as well as his older brother Rodjun Cruz and his wife Dianne Medina, as seen on Rodjun’s Instagram post Tuesday, July 21. Rayver held his “Mobile Legends”-themed cake and
posed right beside his loved ones. “Birthday celebration of @ rayvercruz!” Rodjun said. “We love you King!” The celebrities also did not miss the chance to create a dance video to mark the occasion. The Cruz brothers, Gutierrez and Medina danced to the tune of a remixed version of Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved,” as per Medina’s TikTok video, which she also showed via Instagram today. Gutierrez kept her greeting to Cruz short and sweet.
LDR works well for Uge and Danilo By RICky Lo Philstar.com
HAD the lockdown not been imposed last March, Eugene “Uge” Domingo and her Italian boyfriend Danilo Bottoni would have gone back to Italy. But Uge is happy just the same. “Thank God, we’ve been together in the Philippines since the start of the year,” Uge confessed to Funfare. “Because of the pandemic, all flights and plans were cancelled. Every day, we both thank God for this gift of being together. Every second counts.” How do she and Danilo deal with the pluses and minuses of LDR? “Many would say that having a Long Distance Relationship is a challenge. Yes, I can say that it is very true because you would always want to be Eugene ‘Uge’ Domingo (with boyfriend Danilo Bottoni): Long Distance Relationship (LDR) is a chalphysically near your partner. lenge, so you have to be creative enough in expressing your love for and being faithful to each other. But if you are creative enough Photo from Instagram/@eugenedomingo_official in expressing your love and are faithful to each other, then the “Every day is a colorful that happens every day. Thank longing will be more bearable. day even if we are not doing God for the hi-tech gadgets Anyway, the right time will anything. We both like to cook! and wifi! Communication and come for togetherness. Danilo And we love to eat! We have openness are always the key. and I had been in LDR for three Whether apart or together, managed to combine Italian years before we both finally and Filipino cuisine by cookdo not lose the interest to decided last year that it is time ing Adobo Aglio Olio. I cook share EVERYTHING with your to be together both in the the adobo first, of course, then partner. Do everything togethPhilippines and in Italy. Basta we mix it with his super-sarap er...laugh, cry, be scared, be together!” strong, be honest, be present... authentic Aglio Olio. Buono How do they keep, well, talaga! Sarap!” except for some moments the fire burning, especially Isn’t there any cultural when you want to surprise him when they are miles apart? differences and, if there are, with a gift or simply a kiss.” “For the LDR times, we how do they cope with them? It helps that they have never miss to share everything many things in common. Continued on Page 4
Michael V contracts coronavirus... From Page 2 amit ko, mga alcohol, food. Medyo weird kasi wala ako maamoy ngayon (so I tried and, apparently, it is weird because I can’t smell anything right now. I tried the perfume I normally use, alcohol, food. It is a bit weird because I can’t smell anything),” he said on the fourth day of his isolation at home since experiencing the symptoms. He added that his family followed all safety protocols imposed by the government. “I just wanted to add [that] for the past few months na tala-
gang nagsimula itong pandemic (since this pandemic began), we’ve been very strict about safety, ‘yung social distancing pinapractice namin yan, ‘yung PPEs (we have been practicing social distancing and using personal protective equipment) every time we go out and interact with other people… Halos wala nga kaming labas eh. Very, very minimal ‘yung times na lumalabas kami (We almost never went out. The times we did were very, very minimal),” Michael V. disclosed. He took a swab test along with his wife Carol at the St.
Luke’s Medical Center and on July 18, his eighth day of isolation, the results came back positive. At the end of the video, Michael V. assured his supporters that he would continue to fight the disease. “We’ve been through worse. Sobrang nami-miss ko na ‘yung pamilya ko (I really miss my family),” he said. Other personalities who tested positive and recovered from the virus are Iza Calzado, Christopher de Leon, Sylvia Sanchez, Niña Jose, Jon Lucas and Howie Severino.
Sarah finally gets ‘the voice’ to...
From Page 2 kanilang sariling ‘anak’ o homegrown talent. Malaki po ang utang na loob ko sa network na ito at habang buhay ko po ipagpapasalamat ang bawat oportunidad, tiwala na ibinigay nila sa akin,” she added. Sarah admitted that she doesn’t know the details why the Congress denied the franchise application, but salutes the network’s big bosses for fighting. “Hindi ko man po alam ang buong detalye kung bakit di na muli nabigyan ng prangkisa ang ABS-CBN, hindi ko man po naiintindihan lahat pero gusto ko pong iparating ang aking pagsaludo sa mga haligi ng ABS-CBN para sa kanilang paglaban ng disente at mapagkumbaba sa harap ng ating mga lawmakers,” she said. She continues to hope that the network will have another
chance to go on-air. “Bagama’t napaksakit po na matanggihan, patuloy pa rin kaming sumasamo, nakikiusap at umaapila, nagdarasal para sa aming hangarin na mabigyan muli ang aming minamahal na ABS-CBN family ng isang pang pagkakataon... Pagkakataon na makabawi kung meron mang pagkukulang, pagkakataon na malawakang makapaglingkod, makapagserbisyo sa mamamayang Pilipino.” As conclusion, Sarah said she loves her home network as well as her workmates in the network. “Mahal ko po ang aking ABS-CBN family. Mahalaga po sa akin ang bawat empleyado na labis na nagdadalamahati ngayon dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho. Nakikiisa po ako sa kanilang apila na muling makabalik sa trabaho upang patuloy na makapagbigay serbisyo para sa
kani-kanilang mga pamilya at para sa bansa.” Angel, in an Instagram story today, thanked Sarah for speaking out. “Thank you, Sarah G. Mahal kita,” Angel said. Sarah’s statement came days after she drew flak on social media. On ABS-CBN’s Twitter post about Sarah’s cake creation for husband Matteo Guidicelli, an Internet user said: “Is this made with real, homemade organic 11,000 jobs?” The Internet user was pointing out if Sarah’s cake can help the network’s 11,000 employees when the TV station’s franchise renewal bid was denied by Congress last July 10. “A pinch of apathy, an ounce of indifference, a spoonful of disloyalty. mix them well and you get a Sarah G!” another Internet user said.
Nikki Valdez
practice the old adage, “think before you speak.” “Subukan natin ilagay ang mga sarili natin sa sitwasyon ng iba bago tayo magsalita (Let us try to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes before we speak) for we will never understand what others are going through until we are in the same situation as they are,” Valdez explained. Valdez is among the many celebrities who have shown their support for ABS-CBN after Congress denied its franchise renewal bid. She also took part in the recent protests held by the network’s supporters, workers and artists. “Huwag ang pamilya namin… Huwag ang tahanan namin. Hindi kami mapapagod ipaglaban ka,” she said on Instagram on July 18, sharing a photo from the rally. (Not our family. Not our home. We will never get tired of fighting for you.) After being called out for allegedly violating social distancing protocols during the protest, Valdez via a comment told netizens to “chill” and that
Photo from Instagram/@_nikkivaldez
they were following health protocols. She clarified that there were markers on the ground that they followed to ensure proper spacing. “The noise barrage was televised and if you look closely, there are markers on the pavement so people will know where to stand. Hindi kami ganon kainsensitive (We are not that insensitive) to not think about others while we fight for the lives of our dear employees,” she said. “Thank you sa lahat sa inyong nagpapakita at nagpaparamdam ng suporta. Mahal namin kayo,” Valdez added. (Thanks to all of you for showing your support. We love you all.) The actress also expressed her dismay over the fate of thousands of employees, including her husband Luis Garcia, who will be losing their jobs in the network amid the pandemic, as per her Instagram page last week. Valdez stressed then that despite all the challenges and hardships they are facing, evil will never prevail over the good.
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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond
T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - J ul y 22, 20 2 0
Monette AdevA MAglAyA
Solenn Heussaff stars in the new horror series “Quarantina Gothika.”
Photo from Instagram/@solenn
Solenn shows teaser of new horror series in honor of Peque Gallaga By Cha Lino Inquirer.net
WITH the new normal comes new terrifying possibilities for the world of horror. The new series “Quarantina Gothika”, starring actresses Solenn Heussaff, G Töngi and Michelle Gallaga, is about three women’s lives during the quarantine period. The project is a tribute to the “Master of Horror,” director Peque Gallaga and will be available for viewing at the Remembering Peque Gallaga’s Facebook page on Aug. 1, 7 p.m. In anticipation of the horror
series, Heussaff showed its thrilling teaser via Instagram yesterday, July 20. “[Self-shot] from home in this new normal,” she said. “Three women under lockdown… and in peril.” “Quarantina Gothika” was shot entirely through the teleconferencing app Zoom, as per Remembering Peque Gallaga’s Facebook page on the same day. The first episode titled “Hello Mom” features Peque’s daughter Michelle and his granddaughter Sophia. Töngi stars in episode two, “In House”, while
the third episode “Solitaire” has Heusaff as its lead. Each episode is directed by Lore Reyes, Christian Acuña and Jo Macasa, respectively. Director Gallaga passed away at the age of 72 on May 7. He died from cardiopulmonary arrest at a hospital in Bacolod City, according to his wife. The legendary director was behind numerous blockbuster horror movies such as the first four installments of “Shake, Rattle & Roll”. He also directed the critically acclaimed period drama “Oro, Plata, Mata” among other classics of Philippine cinema.
LDR works well for Uge and...
From Page 3 “Danilo always says most of us are not used to saying NO, we always say YES or we say, ‘puwede.’ And the funniest for him is the way we use the word siguro which means ‘maybe’ for us. But siguro is ‘sicuro’ which means ‘certain’.” We can go back and trace this back to our Spanish history, siguro...” It is an advantage that they fell in love at this stage in their lives — you know, been there, done that. Revealed Uge, “Danilo appeared literally in front of me at the time when I was already a bit exhausted from my showbiz routine. Also at the time when I was almost giving up on finding
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a partner. I was not even looking or trying to be attractive. But I remember during those times, I would always pray to God — please take care of my heart. Love is beautiful when you lift everything up to His Will and His Time.” Is marriage in the radar? “Of course,” said Uge. “But, again, everything in God’s perfect time. Now, this one is ‘sicuro’.” Replays of Uge’s show Celebrity Bluff are aired on GMA Saturday nights and what she misses most are the tapings for Dear Uge, her other GMA show on Sunday afternoons that presents different stories with different guests.
“The stories are beautiful and the actors give their best always,” noted Uge. “The collaboration and the harmony on the set to deliver a good episode is the one I miss most. We are taping fresh episodes soon.” Starting in August, the show (airing at 2:30 p.m. after All-Out Sundays) will air interesting stories like a couple about to separate and has no choice but to start together in the house for the quarantine period. They rekindle their love because somehow the “past” returns. It must be wonderful if Uge agrees to feature her and Danilo’s love story, ‘no!
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BEFORE you begin checking off the fun, carefree and wonderful items of your personal bucket list, you have to put first things first. This means putting things down in writing. Yes, facing the final scenario of your personal end times is as pleasurable as pulling teeth. If you can, you will be placing this in the back burner of your TO DO list forever. But there’s no such thing as forever on earth. Putting this off just puts the disposition of your estate in jeopardy. Particularly for men, facing one’s mortality is no easy task. Curiously, women seem to naturally have vast amounts of emotional reserves to face this. Death is not a matter of if but when. No one really takes pleasure in outlining the final chapter. The final documents you write compose the epilogue of your personal story. In the epilogue, you will be referred to in the past tense as the decedent who has decided while alive that so and so will receive such and such, as written in the document. DEEP SIGH….. This means getting these documents done first before anything else in your bucket list, that is, BEFORE you decide to get that face lift, write your memoir, go sky-diving or go globe-trotting once the 2020 pandemic/scamdemic hoopla that placed the world on a retrograde orbit gets back on its normal track — planes flying once again and tourism booming. Damn social distancing. Even plants love to huddle together. Much more so with human beings… But I digress. This means putting your thoughts and intentions in writing so that there is no confusion as to how you intend for events to happen even after you are no longer around to call the shots. This means deciding who gets what from your estate or your worldly possessions. But life can be complicated and when there is bad blood among family members, the will can be a spiteful tool of getting back at a disrespectful
The bucket list: Get it down in writing 16th of a series
“You can’t bring a U-Haul truck with you when you go to that wide blue yonder.” — Unknown or disobedient family member. You get to disinherit or leave just a dollar to the scoundrel just to make a point from beyond the grave. Or if you want to be persnickety from beyond the grave and have your heirs jump through hoops, you can give out conditions that need to be fulfilled before one gets something of value from you. These are known as provisos. This is when the plot thickens. You need a lawyer for this. This can mean you get to allocate in advance precious, valuable and even junkie stuff you have accumulated like the pack rat that you were over your lifetime. Or you can simplify. Indulge in the fun of giving away stuff over time, divesting early and handing stuff out like candy while you’re alive beginning with the ones who express genuine appreciation for the gifts you give. For the big things, you need to have several documents on hand and at the ready, JUST IN CASE. These might include having a Revocable Living Trust if you own real estate; a pour-over will just in case you missed something of value among your assets in the trust; a medical directive and the medical record information release (HIPAA) form, short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This HIPAA document allows a patient to list the names of family members, friends, health care providers and other third parties whom the patient wishes to have their medical records available. You can do some or all of this by yourself if you are so inclined to handle legal matters. It involves research and attention to detail. It is after all, a legal, binding document. Or you can get a reputable, experienced lawyer to prepare
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all these basic documents for you to make sure that everything is on the up and up with regards to the laws of the state where you reside. The lawyer is there to cross your t’s and dot your i’s. From time to time, these documents may need to be updated as the need arises. Births, deaths, marriage and divorce might affect decisions and these should be reflected in the documents. A good lawyer can also explain the ramifications of the decisions you make. Particularly for those with several real estate assets in their portfolio, having a Living Trust is essential. In the case of the untimely demise of a person without a Living Trust, properties will have to go to probate court. The time and expense of having to go through probate proceedings are two of the biggest arguments in favor of having a Living Trust. Unfortunately, having a will does not prevent the properties of the deceased from having to go through probate. There are other reasons why people particularly in their mature years ought to consider having these final documents on hand and at the ready. I suppose the best reason is that while one is of sound mind and sound body, one has thought things through, took the time and the effort to set everything down in writing and had these documents notarized and recorded officially. After all, no one wants unfinished business. Somehow the act of doing all these helps one achieve a modicum of that elusive thing called PEACE OF MIND. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com
Debt problems: Are you lost in a money fog? Minding Your Finances Atty. rAymond BUlAon MAYBE you’ve experienced this before. You’re driving down the road one cold, chilly day and before you know it, you find yourself surrounded by a thick white wall of dense fog. How did you react to the situation? if you’re like most people, perhaps you felt momentarily lost and confused or perhaps even panicked, not knowing what was in front of you or the direction you were going. people who are facing serious debt problems can feel the same way. they feel lost in a “money fog”. What exactly is a “money fog”? Money fog means that you’re in a state of being disconnected from your money. Here are some of the symptoms: (a) Having no idea about your real bank balance (2) Always broke at the end of the month no matter how hard you work (3) You’ve lost track of how much you owe (4) Chronic debt that just cannot be paid off, and (5) Zero savings- and yet, having a lot of expenses that cannot be accounted for or explained. You may be shocked to know that being in a money fog can happen to people of all income levels. A person who makes $50 an hour can be just as broke financially as another person who makes $10 an hour if both of them have lost control over their money. thus, when you’re in a money fog, it doesn’t matter much what your income is. At the end of the day, it’s not what you make that really matters- it’s what you get to keep. i meet with a lot of people who are in denial about their situation and will try to rationalize by saying things like: “Well, it’s not really that bad”, “it’s only money” or (here’s one that i always hear) “Maybe, i’ll win the lottery.” often, it takes an eye-opening event to wake them up. this could be a nasty collection letter they get in the mail, a threat of a lawsuit, foreclosure, wage garnishment or a notice of bank levy. or it could be a sudden realization one day that their bank account has been consistently overdrawn month after month, they are drowning in debt, and they have nothing to show for all the money they’ve borrowed. this is when reality hits them like a ton of bricks and they find themselves totally unprepared for the financial crisis that they are now facing. Clearing the fog can sometimes be an uncomfortable process because it involves looking honestly at the financial
behaviors that contributed to our present financial crisis. But unless we become aware of what we may be doing wrong, we may never get out of the fog. the two initial steps you can take would be tracking your monthly expenses and creating a monthly budget that is within your means. Create an itemized list of your debts, balances and interest rates. learn to distinguish between “needs” and “wants” and avoid buying things on credit as much as possible unless you can pay the bill in full at the end of the month. Financial recovery cannot begin while your finances are cluttered, messy and disorganized. spend some time working through an accurate picture of your total income after tax, your realistic expenses and current debt repayments. then work through some ways of eliminating expenses that you can live without and use the money you’re able to save towards debt repayment. if filing bankruptcy is your only solution to get out of debt, consult with an experienced attorney who can help you understand the pros and cons of such a solution. Whatever you do, have a clear goal and a defined purpose in order to maintain the level of motivation that you need to become debt-free. if the current pandemic has affected your income, i’m sure it’s even more difficult for you now to get a handle on your finances if they were already out of control before this whole mess even started. More than ever, you need a financial plan to make sure that you are living within your means because there is no telling how long this virus crisis will end. if filing bankruptcy is inevitable in order to start over, there is no shame in using the laws intended to help you get back on your feet at a time like this. Don’t get me wrong. Bankruptcy is not for everyone. But if it is the right solution for your situation, this could be a big turning point in your life.if you have not read my book, “What You need to Know Before Filing Bankruptcy”, you can download it free of charge at www.beforefilingbk. com. For a free evaluation of your case, please call our office at toll-Free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. *** notE: Due to the virus lockdown, i am currently offering consultations via phone or video. please call the office to schedule your appointment with me. Questions? Email me at gethelp@rjb-lawoffices.com. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-777. (Advertising Supplement)
community What is a postnuptial agreement? T h e As ian Jou r n al MDWK MAGAZ IN E - Ju l y 2 2 , 2 0 2 0
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the marriage and any property acquired by you and your spouse during the marriage. Atty. Kenneth Basically, your spouse has a UrsUA reyes one-half interest in your salary, earnings, and any assets A postnuptiAl agreeyou acquired during the marment is a contract between riage even if it was you who you and your spouse entered sweated to earn that money into after you get married and even if a particular asset resolving issues in your maror bank account is under riage. it is similar to a prenyour name alone. this 50/50 uptial agreement except it division can be changed even occurs after your marriage. after the marriage by ways of For couples that get married a postnuptial agreement. without a prenuptial agreeWhat issues can be rement, it is not too late to have solved in advance through a an agreement dealing with postnuptial agreement? You issues of property division, can agree on how a busimanagement of finances, ness or a professional pracspousal support, division of tice is to be divided in case a business that takes effect of a divorce. through the in case of a divorce. You can postnuptial agreement, the enter into a postnuptial agree- division does not have to be ment even if the marriage is 50/50. the agreement can going well. people grow and provide that the business will change over time. You can be awarded to one spouse never predict if your relationalone or it can provide a ship with your spouse will stay certain amount of buyout to the same in the future. in a the other spouse. there is a way, it is a form of planning to lot of flexibility as to how you cover the contingency in case want to structure this. the marriage does not work You can also provide for out in the future. how real property is to be if you are the spouse who divided such as a house or is the primary breadwinner rental property. typically, a such as a Registered nurse, a house purchased during the physician, or other profession- marriage is community propal, California community prop- erty to be divided equally. A erty law provides for a 50% house purchased before the interest to your spouse for any marriage is separate property income earned by you during but if there was a mortgage
or refinancing during the marriage and the monthly mortgage payment is paid from earnings during the marriage, there could be a community interest in that separate property house which entitles your spouse to a portion of the house. this confusion can be squared away and clarified in a postnuptial agreement. You can provide for who gets the house and what buy out , if any, your spouse will get in case of a divorce. spousal support can also be addressed in the postnuptial agreement. A common provisions is to agree to a certain amount of spousal support which varies depending on how long the marriage was at the time the parties divorce. it is also possible to waive spousal support altogether. However, such waiver of support will be scrutinized as to unconscionability at the time of the divorce. other issues that can be resolved in a postnuptial agreement are division of debts and credit cards, ownership of a life insurance policy, beneficiaries to a life insurance policy, and who gets the family pet. since the postnuptial agreement is the first issue that can be attacked in a divorce case, it is best that each party be represented by their
own attorney in negotiating the agreement. in that case, there is less likelihood that the postnuptial agreement will be found invalid since you can argue that there was no undue influence since both parties were represented by counsel. Having a postnuptial is definitely beneficial in minimizing the uncertainty in the future pertaining to your marriage and finances. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APC. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Reyes is a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration and Family Law Sections. You may contact Atty. Reyes at (213) 388-1611 or via e-mail at kenneth@kenreyeslaw. com. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA. (Advertising Supplement)
T h e A s ian Jour nal M D W K M A G A Z I NE - J ul y 22, 2 0 2 0
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